Nurse Sharon snipped the thick black thread with her scissors. She tied a tight knot against Elinor's skin.

Sharon grabbed a roll of thick white gauze. She wrapped it tightly around Elinor's forearm.

"Do not lift anything heavy," Sharon ordered. "Do not stretch the muscle. Keep it dry."

Elinor looked down at her arm. The thick bandage felt heavy and restrictive. She let out a slow breath. She used her right hand to pull her credit card from her wallet and paid the copay at the desk.

She walked out of the clinic. The numbness from the anesthetic was wearing off. A deep, throbbing ache pulsed in her arm with every heartbeat.

She walked straight back to the music building. She had to find Connor Bailey, the event coordinator. She had to cancel her performance for the Founder's Day Gala.

The hallways of the music building were completely empty. Everyone had run to the main quad to watch Howell's spectacle.

Elinor walked toward the administrative office. Suddenly, a massive wall of sound stopped her in her tracks.

Someone was playing the piano in Practice Room A. It was Chopin's Winter Wind. It was the exact piece she was supposed to play tomorrow night.

The notes were incredibly fast. The force behind the keys was aggressive and flawless. It was better than her own playing.

Elinor walked slowly to the heavy wooden door. She looked through the small square glass window.

A man sat at the Steinway. He wore a custom-tailored black dress shirt. His shoulders were incredibly broad.

His side profile was sharp and harsh. His jawline looked like it was cut from stone. He radiated a freezing, untouchable arrogance.

Elinor recognized him instantly. Darion Green. The ruthless and secretive Student Body President of King's State University.

Darion struck the final, thunderous chord. He froze. He felt the eyes on him. He pulled his hands off the keys.

He turned his head. His pitch-black eyes locked directly onto Elinor through the glass.

The intensity of his stare hit her chest like a physical blow. Her heart skipped a beat. She took a step backward.

Darion stood up. He walked to the door with long, heavy strides. He grabbed the handle and yanked the door open.

His massive frame blocked out the light from the room. A strong scent of cedar wood and cold rain washed over her.

Darion did not look at her face. His black eyes dropped instantly to her left arm. He stared at the thick white gauze. A tiny spot of red blood had already soaked through the fabric.

His pupils contracted. His jaw clenched so hard the muscle ticked. His large hands dropped to his sides and curled into tight fists.

"What happened to your arm?" Darion asked. His voice was incredibly deep. It had a rough, dangerous edge to it.

Elinor felt intimidated by his presence. She swallowed hard.

"An accident," Elinor said quickly. "I am looking for Connor. I have to cancel my solo for tomorrow."

Darion frowned. His expression turned to stone.

"You cannot cancel the finale," Darion said coldly. "It makes the university look incompetent."

Elinor felt a spark of anger. She lifted her bandaged arm slightly.

"Do you expect me to play Chopin with one hand?" she snapped.

Darion took a step forward. He invaded her personal space. He looked down at her.

"I will play it for you," Darion commanded. "I am already scheduled to perform this exact piece for the International Chopin Piano Competition next month. The muscle memory is flawless."

Elinor froze. "That breaks protocol. We have never rehearsed the stage cues."

Darion ignored her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek black iPhone. He unlocked it and shoved it toward her chest.

"Put your number in," he ordered. "I will send you the revised schedule tonight."

Elinor's brain stopped working. She took the phone with her right hand. She typed in her digits.

Darion took the phone back. He pressed call. Elinor's phone vibrated in her pocket.

Darion looked deep into her eyes. "Rest your arm," he said.

He turned around and walked down the hallway. Elinor stood frozen outside the door. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

Elinor pushed open the heavy exit doors of the music building. She needed to get back to her dorm to take her stronger allergy medication. Her arm throbbed with every step.

She walked toward the main dormitories. The path forced her to walk along the edge of The Quad.

She stopped walking. A wall of students blocked the sidewalk. The sight in front of her made her stomach turn.

The massive green lawn was completely covered in red roses. They were arranged in a giant, disgusting heart shape.

Two black drones buzzed loudly in the sky, recording the entire scene.

Howell Hampton stood in the dead center of the flowers. He wore a perfectly tailored Tom Ford suit. He held a large white plastic megaphone in his hand.

His fraternity brother, Griffin Wallace, stood at the edge of the grass. Griffin yelled at a group of freshmen to hold up a massive white banner that read "Forever Yours."

A strong gust of wind swept across the open space. It picked up thousands of loose red petals. It also picked up a massive, invisible cloud of rose pollen.

The wind hit Elinor's face. Even through the thick fabric of her N95 mask, the heavy, sickening smell of rose oil invaded her nose.

Her windpipe clamped shut. It felt like a pair of invisible hands wrapped around her neck and squeezed. She let out a pathetic, wheezing gasp.

Elinor bent forward. Her right hand grabbed the fabric of her shirt over her chest. Her muscles tightened, pulling on the fresh stitches in her left arm. A sharp spike of pain shot to her elbow.

She panicked. She shoved her right hand into her canvas bag. She dug past her wallet and keys. She searched for her backup EpiPen. The students around her screamed and cheered for Howell. No one looked at the girl suffocating on the edge of the concrete. Her cold fingers finally brushed against the hard plastic casing of the auto-injector. She ripped her mask down. She pulled the blue safety release cap off with her teeth. She hovered the orange tip over her right thigh, her hand trembling violently. She hesitated, knowing the massive dose of adrenaline would send her into severe tachycardia and require immediate hospitalization. She forced herself to look at the library doors just fifty feet away. She didn't trigger the needle. Instead, she gripped the EpiPen like a lifeline and forced her legs to move.

She stumbled backward, away from the wind. She pushed through the heavy glass doors of the campus library.

The freezing air conditioning hit her skin. The filtered air filled her lungs. She leaned her back against a cold marble pillar. She squeezed her eyes shut and panted.

Her phone started vibrating violently in her pocket.

She pulled it out. The screen showed fifteen missed calls. They were all from Zoe and Leighton.

She opened iMessage. Leighton sent a high-resolution photo of Howell in the flowers. The text read: He is insane! Where are you?!

Zoe sent a voice memo. Elinor held the phone to her ear. Zoe's voice was frantic. Elinor, the whole school is looking for you. The Dean is here. Are you going to see him?

Elinor stared at the screen. A cold, mocking smile twisted her lips. She typed with her right thumb.

I will say this one last time. He is waiting for Carrie Hutchinson. If you do not want me to die from anaphylactic shock, stop texting me.

She hit send. The group chat went completely dead. Thirty seconds passed. No one replied. The name "Carrie" and the word "shock" finally shut them up.

Elinor looked through the glass windows of the library. She watched Howell.

Howell looked down at his gold Rolex watch. He shifted his weight. He looked impatient and excited.

He did not care that if Elinor actually walked into that circle, the pollen would kill her in three minutes.

The absolute selfishness of the man erased the last tiny drop of pity she had left for him.

She flipped her phone to silent. She turned around. She decided to leave through the back door of the library to avoid the crowd.

As she turned, three girls wearing matching Alpha Phi sweatshirts walked through the back doors. They stopped dead in their tracks. They stared right at her.

The three Alpha Phi girls squealed. They ran across the library lobby and surrounded Elinor against the marble pillar.

The blonde girl in the front reached out. She grabbed Elinor's right arm and squeezed it hard.

"Oh my god, congratulations!" the blonde girl yelled. "You finally made him settle down!"

The girl on the left pulled out her phone. She aimed the camera lens right at Elinor's face to record her reaction.

Elinor's eyes went dead. She ripped her arm out of the blonde girl's grip.

"Put the phone down," Elinor commanded. Her voice was like a whip.

The three girls jumped. Their excited smiles vanished. The girl with the phone slowly lowered her hand.

Elinor took a breath. She spoke loudly. She made sure the students studying at the nearby tables could hear every word.

"I have absolutely nothing to do with that circus outside," Elinor said coldly.

The blonde girl blinked. She stuttered. "But... everyone in the Ivy League circle knows the Hamptons only want you."

Elinor let out a short, harsh laugh. She looked the girl dead in the eye.

"Go ask a girl named Carrie Hutchinson," Elinor said.

The students sitting at the tables gasped. The sound of people sucking in air echoed through the quiet lobby.

Elinor did not look at them again. She pushed past the three girls and walked straight out the back doors of the library.

Outside on the main quad, Howell pulled at the collar of his shirt. He was sweating.

He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his phone. He opened a heavily encrypted messaging app. Carrie's name sat at the top of the screen.

His thumbs hit the screen hard. Where are you? The whole school is waiting. Come out here so I can show them I chose you.

Behind the administration building, Carrie stood in the shadows. She stared at her screen. A twisted, victorious smile stretched across her face.

She typed back slowly. Howell, I am so scared. Everyone is chanting Elinor's name. I don't belong out there...

Howell read the message. His chest puffed out with a sick need to protect her. He typed back instantly. Forget that boring robot! Today is about us!

Griffin Wallace walked up to Howell. He looked confused.

"Dude, where is Elinor?" Griffin asked.

Howell scoffed. He looked at Griffin with pure arrogance. "These flowers aren't for that cold machine."

Griffin's face dropped. His skin turned pale. He stuttered. "Wait. If they aren't for her... Howell, she has a fatal pollen allergy. I heard my mom talking to your mother at the Hampton estate gala last year. She specifically warned the staff that Elinor absolutely cannot be near the rose gardens! If she walks by here, this will kill her."

Howell's face froze for exactly one second. Then he rolled his eyes and waved his hand.

"She is probably hiding in some expensive piano room," Howell snapped. "She won't die."

Griffin took a step back. A chill ran down his spine. The cruelty in Howell's voice made him sick.

Suddenly, a massive commotion erupted at the edge of the crowd.

Carrie walked out into the sunlight. She wore her cheap pink cardigan. She rubbed her eyes to make them look red. She walked forward like a terrified deer.

Howell's face lit up. He raised the megaphone to his mouth.

"Carrie!" Howell shouted. His voice boomed across the quad.

The thousands of students expecting Elinor Clemons went completely silent. The cheering stopped. The silence was deafening and awkward.

Everyone stared at Howell. Then they stared at the plain, poorly dressed girl walking toward him. They looked at Howell like he had lost his mind.

Outside the back of the library, Elinor heard the megaphone. She heard the name.

She stopped walking. She closed her eyes. The sheer stupidity of the situation made her nauseous.

She opened her eyes and started to walk away. But the dead silence on the quad suddenly broke. The crowd realized what was happening. Panic and confusion set in.

A massive wave of students started running away from the quad, flooding directly onto the narrow path where Elinor was standing.